1. Michelle Moorhouse 26 Mar 2015
Guidelines
Michelle Moorhouse
26 Mar 2015

2. Acknowledgements, disclaimers and WARnings

3. What are guidelines?
“Statements that include recommendations intended to optimise patient care that are informed by a systematic review of evidence and an assessment of the benefits and harms of alternative care options”
IOM 2011
Question I am often confronted with – are GLs absolute rules or recommendations?
Answer: depends, several factors which include your qualifications, scope of practice and experience
Example: experienced NIMART nurse; inexperienced junior doctor

4. What are guidelines?
“Clinical practice guidelines are systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate healthcare for specific clinical circumstances”
Field and Lohr page 38.
Question I am often confronted with – are GLs absolute rules or recommendations?
Answer: depends, several factors which include your qualifications, scope of practice and experience
Example: experienced NIMART nurse; inexperienced junior doctor

5. Process for GL development

6. Process for GL development

7. Selected topics When to start ART What ART to start? When to switch?
Switch to which?
Third line ART
Patients with renal impairment
Topics selected reflect areas of significant change, new sections or areas that may have been clarified
Where evidence presented, evidence that was available at time guidelines were updated
Only adult guideline; does not include PMTCT – consult DoH guidelines for PMTCT recommendations

8. Updated GL: underlying philosophy
Affordability considered
Only treatment and diagnostic options available in Southern Africa were considered
Bridge gap between public and private sectors
Intended to reflect “best practice”
Shift to view ART as prevention
South Africa is a middle-income country whereas certain other countries in the region are low-income countries; therefore, affordability was taken into account.
Only treatment and diagnostic options available in Southern Africa were included.
We recognised the need to bridge the gap in treatment recommendations between public and private sector programmes, considering that many patients transition between the 2 sectors for treatment.
The guidelines are intended to reflect ‘best practice’ – while it is acknowledged that certain recommendations are aspirational for poorly resourced settings, the unavailability of diagnostic/monitoring tests should not be a barrier to providing ART to those in need.
There has been a shift to view ARV treatment as a means of HIV prevention. The evidence base for this exists for serodiscordant couples; recommendations in this regard are included in these guidelines and additional data from community studies are awaited.

9. When to start ART: diagnosis based
How does this differ from previous guideline? Only nuance changes
How does this differ from NDOH and WHO? Largely aligned
WHO classification given in appendix of GL
Patients with profound immunosuppression are at significant risk of opportunistic infections (OIs) and associated mortality, and should be assessed rapidly and initiated on ART within weeks once adherence counselling has been initiated.
In patients with higher CD4+ counts, ART should be deferred until patients are prepared to commit to long-term treatment and are maintaining good treatment adherence. However, in eligible patients, efforts should be made to avoid lengthy indecision that may result in avoidable clinical deterioration and death.

10. When to start ART: CD4-based/other
How does this differ from previous guideline? CD4 <350 and CD4 >350
How does this differ from NDOH and WHO?
Both recommend all CD4 <500 start ART;
NDOH does not treat serodiscordant couples but WHO recommends ART in SCs
Patients with profound immunosuppression are at significant risk of opportunistic infections (OIs) and associated mortality, and should be assessed rapidly and initiated on ART within weeks once adherence counselling has been initiated.
In patients with higher CD4+ counts, ART should be deferred until patients are prepared to commit to long-term treatment and are maintaining good treatment adherence. However, in eligible patients, efforts should be made to avoid lengthy indecision that may result in avoidable clinical deterioration and death.

11. Haiti trial Starting ART at CD4<350 vs. CD4<200 / AIDS
RCT in Haiti demonstrated reduced mortality and incident tuberculosis (TB) in patients starting ART at a CD4+ count threshold of <350 cells/μL (compared with patients waiting to commence therapy at a threshold of <200 cells/μL)
HR = 4.0
HR = 2.0
Severe, NEJM 2010

12. The evidence CD4 >350 cells/mm3 CD4 350-500 cells/mm3
No clinical trial shown improved patient survival >350 cells/mm3
Observational data: reduced MM associated with earlier ART
RCT HPTN 052: reduced morbidity but not mortality
HIV-related events >350 cells/mm3 rare
Await evidence from START and TEMPRANO
CD cells/mm3
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Reduces transmission in serodiscordancy
Wider cover: reduce transmission community level (Hlabisa)
Individualised approach: may be well; start lifelong ART with possible SEs
If not ready, defer until CD4 <350 cells/mm3
Evidence is less clear concerning individual patient benefit when increasing the CD4+ count threshold for ART initiation to 500 cells/μL.
No clinical trial has shown improved patient survival from starting ART at a CD4+ count >350 cells/μL – trials ongoing at the time of GL development.
Some observational data suggest reduced morbidity and mortality associated with starting ART earlier.
Methodological issues with observational data (residual confounding)
If there is benefit to patients starting ART at CD4 counts >350, the benefit is likely to be small, since HIV-related events at higher CD4 counts are rare.
A randomised controlled trial (RCT) (HPTN052) showed reduced morbidity but not mortality associated with starting ART at a CD4 count of 350 – 550 (compared with <250). Absolute benefits were small.
Definitive evidence regarding earlier ART initiation is awaited from ongoing RCTs, the START trial and TEMPRANO trial.
CD recommendations:
2 CD4 in that range
Starting ART at higher CD4 counts reduces HIV transmission within couples where one partner is HIV negative (HPTN052)
Wider ART coverage appears to reduce the risk of HIV transmission at a community level (Hlabisa)
Thus consideration should be given to starting patients whose CD4 counts are between  
However, it must be remembered that many of these patients (CD ) are completely well and starting lifelong medication that needs to be taken with 100% adherence, and also may have side effects in some patients, may be a difficult undertaking.
We thus support an individualised approach in patients with a CD4 count : after a discussion about the potential benefits, uncertainties, side effects and need for impeccable adherence patients should only be prescribed ART in this CD4 range if they are motivated for lifelong ART with the required adherence.
If they do not feel ready yet, ART should be deferred until their CD4 count is below 350 with a plan in place for ongoing follow-up and CD4 monitoring.

13. One more eligibility criterion…
Patients diagnosed during seroconversion, if adherence requirements are met
Recent studies suggest that ART initiation during serconversion associated with slower disease progression
At least 3 years; consider lifelong
Limits size of reservoir
Diagnosis: recent negative HIV test that becomes positive on subsequent test
Diagnosing seroconversion is facilitated by having a recent negative HIV test that then becomes positive on a subsequent test.
Otherwise, the following are suggestive: the compatible clinical syndrome, an indeterminate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test result that then becomes positive on a subsequent test, and a very high VL.
Initiate standard first line therapy

14. What ART to start? SAHIVSOC SA NDOH WHO NRTIs Recommended Alternative
TDF + FTC/3TC
ABC
AZT
Short term d4T
Third drug
EFV
RPV
NVP
(RAL)
(PI/r)
LPV/r
(ATV/r)
PI/r
Raltegravir or PI/r to be used as 3rd drug when NNRTI contra-indicated
eg. life-threatening hypersensitivity reaction
Previous SAHIVSOC GL: preferred first line TDF + FTC/3TC + EFV
alternatives: ABC/AZT
NVP
Discuss why NNRTI is preferred 3rd drug in first line

15. What ART to start? NNRTIs
EFV
RPV
NVP
Avoid if
Active psychiatric illness
History severe psych disease
Nightshifts / heavy machinery / driving
Common/severe ADRs
CNS symptoms (vivid dreams, problems with concentration, dizziness, confusion, mood disturbance, psychosis)
Rash
Hepatitis
Gynaecomastia
VL > copies/mL
CNS symptoms
(all uncommon)
Inexpensive
CD4 >250 in women and >400 in men
Liver disease or LFT derangement
Avoid EFV if
active psychiatric illness
history of severe psychiatric disease
night shift workers and those operating heavy machinery or vehicles.
Rilpivirine
Inexpensive (R47/month)
RPV should not be used in patients with viral load > 100,000 copies/ml as clinical trials have shown that RPV-based regimens have higher virological failure rates in these patients compared with EFV (Cohen AIDS 2013;27:939).
In patients with viral load ≤ 100,000 copies/ml outcomes are comparable overall to EFV-based regimens, with RPV being better tolerated (Molina, HIV Med 2014;15:57)  
Avoid NVP
CD4 > 250 in women and > 400 in men
Liver disease or LFT derangement

16. Efavirenz and pregnancy
In a meta-analysis, the incidence of NTDs and all congenital abnormalities among women exposed to EFV in T1 was similar to that of the general population
Based on the accumulated evidence we endorse the WHO guidance that EFV can be used in pregnancy and women who intend to fall pregnant
This is in contrast to our previous guidance
The FDA category D classification should be discussed with women
based on animal studies
human cohort studies have not demonstrated an increased risk of congenital abnormalities
background low risk of congenital abnormalities in all pregnancies (unrelated to drugs)
Pregnancy Category D – Positive evidence of risk: Investigational or post marketing data show risk to the fetus. Nevertheless, potential benefits may outweigh the potential risk.

17. EFV and birth defects 3% 5.3% 2.9% 2.8% 2.4% 2.0% Neural tube defects
General
US pop
South Africa
pop
1st
trimester exposure to any
ARV
2nd/3rd trimester exposure
to any
1st trimester exposure to
EFV to
Meta analysis 3%
5.3%
2.9%
2.8%
2.4%
2.0%
95% CI :
( )
( )
( )
(0.4 – 5.8)
( )
Numbers:
195/6666
237/8394
18/735
3/149
39/1437
Relative risk 1st trimester EFV to non EFV ART was 0.87 ( , p=0.45)
Because NTD infrequent, the size of these cohorts insufficient to definitively exclude an increased risk of NTD from EFV
Pregnancy Category A – Controlled studies show no risk: Adequate, well-controlled studies in pregnant women failed to demonstrate risk to the fetus.
Pregnancy Category B – No evidence of risk in humans: Either animal findings show risk, but human findings do not; or, if no adequate human studies have been done, animal findings are negative.
Pregnancy Category C – Risk cannot be ruled out: Human studies are lacking, and animal studies are either positive for fetal risk, or lacking as well. However, potential benefits may justify the potential risk.
Pregnancy Category D – Positive evidence of risk: Investigational or post marketing data show risk to the fetus. Nevertheless, potential benefits may outweigh the potential risk.
Pregnancy Category X – Contraindicated in pregnancy: Studies in animals or humans, or investigational or post marketing reports, have shown fetal risk which clearly outweighs any possible benefit to the patient.
Neural tube defects
South African general population estimate = %
Meta-analysis (2011) = 0.07% (95% CI = )
Pillay, SA J HIV Med, March 2012;28
Ford, AIDS 2011;25:2301
The Antiretroviral Pregnancy Register Interim (2013)
Global Report of Birth Defects

18. When to switch? Two VL >1000 copies/mL 2-3 months apart
At least 4 weeks adherence intervention in between
Low level viraemia (200 – 1000 copies/mL)
Prolonged (>1 year) OR
With persistently low CD4 counts (<100 cells/mm3)
Despite adherence interventions
Restart the same regimen if patients return to care after defaulting therapy.
A VL should preferably be performed before restarting.
VL is measured 3 months after restarting ART
Switching to a second-line regimen should be considered if the VL is not <1 000 copies/mL at this point.
In patients with multiple episodes of interruption, particularly beyond the first year of ART, many clinicians would consider switching to a second- line regimen, making the assumption that the multiple interruptions resulted in first-line resistance. Reasons for defaulting should be addressed and adherence support increased.
Hospitalisation with an AIDS-defining condition and a CD4+ count of <50 cells/μL represents another situation where a patient may be restarted immediately on second-line ART when returning to care after defaulting
High risk of mortality if restarted on a first-line therapy to which their virus may be resistant, and they require a guaranteed effective ART regimen immediately. This decision should usually be taken by the clinicians at a hospital level.
Performing a resistance test after the patient has been off ART for longer than 4 weeks is of limited value, as many resistance mutations are overtaken by wild-type virus when ART is stopped.

19. Switch to which? Third drug options SAHIVSOC SA NDOH WHO
First line NRTI
Switch to
AZT
d4T
TDF
ABC
EARNEST trial suggested that NRTIs have important role in second line with PI/r even when there is NRTI resistance present
Third drug options
If a patient was receiving a first-line combination of two NRTIs and a PI (boosted or unboosted), it is best to discuss the choice of second-line regimen with an experienced HIV clinician
Perform a genotype resistance test.
Second-line NNRTI + NRTI regimens are often not effective in such patients because of NRTI resistance mutations. The regimen choice is therefore best guided by resistance testing.
SAHIVSOC
SA NDOH
WHO
ATV/r
LPV/r
DRV/r*
(ATV/r)
* When 800/100mg daily available

20. ATV/r 300mg/ 100mg daily Exceptions:
Advantages
Once daily
Fewer GI SEs than LPV/r
More favourable lipid profile
Disadvantages
No FDC in SA
RTV capsules not heat-stable
Cannot be co-administered with rifampicin
Exceptions
Not tolerated eg jaundice
Patients who don’t own fridge
Patients on rifampicin
Exceptions:
Not tolerated (eg. cosmetically unacceptable jaundice) then use lopinavir/ritonavir
Patients who do not own a fridge (to store ritonavir capsules)
Patients on rifampicin-based TB treatment (double dose lopinavir/ritonavir should be used while on the TB treatment)
ATV and jaundice
Causes mild unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia in up to 50% of patients
Competitive inhibition of uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyl transferase (UGT) 1A1 enzyme similar to Gilbert’s syndrome
If other LFTs normal and no hepatitis symptoms then this does not represent liver injury

21. BMS 045: 96 week results LPV/r vs
BMS 045: 96 week results LPV/r vs. ATV/r in treatment-experienced patients
VL <50 c/mL
Discuss
AEs: diarrhoea, jaundice
Efficacy
Use of lipid lowering agents on LPV/r
By end of trial:
20% in LPV/r arm
9% in ATV/r
on lipid lowering Rx
Johnson, AIDS 2006

22. Patients failing on second line ART
Intensified adherence intervention
PI >one year; not virologically suppressed
Genotype on ART
Documented PI resistance
Third line ART selected based on genotype and ART history
. Patient failing 2nd line (2 x VL >1000 copies/mL taken 2-3 months apart)
Check adherence (pharmacy refills and self-report)
Intensified adherence support
Genotype resistance test
Salvage if significant lopinavir/atazanavir resistance
Use Stanford database resistance test analysis and treatment history to design salvage regimen
Third-line ART (also referred to as ‘salvage’ therapy) is used when a patient has experienced virological failure on drugs from the NRTI, NNRTI and PI classes, and has documented PI resistance.

23. Third line regimen: principles
Specific adherence counselling
PI/r with broadest resistance profile
No first generation NNRTIs
Add 3TC/FTC
Other NRTIs
Role of MVC?
No double boosted PIs
Other drugs eg RAL, ETR
Need specific adherence counselling in patients preparing to start third-line ART, with a frank discussion that this regimen is likely to be their last option for the foreseeable future.
First-generation NNRTIs (NVP and EFV) have no place in third-line therapy as they do not impair viral fitness.
A boosted PI with the broadest resistance profile should be selected (this is currently DRV). DRV must be used twice daily in this context (600 mg 12-hourly with 100 mg RTV 12-hourly). LPV may be used if the drug is still active based on a resistance test (e.g. if the patient failed second-line ATV therapy).
The addition of 3TC (or FTC) is recommended as the M184V mutation that it selects for impairs viral replication.
Other NRTIs (the most active based on resistance testing) should also be added.
Consideration of the addition of other salvage drugs (e.g. RAL and/ or ETR or RPV) will depend on the results of genotype resistance testing and cost issues.
RAL is preferred because it belongs to an entirely new class with no risk of cross-resistance from prior ART exposure in first- and second-line therapy.
Because most patients are not receiving an NNRTI at the time of failing second-line therapy when a genotype resistance test is typically performed, prior NNRTI mutations related to first-line NNRTI failure may be archived at this time. Therefore, it is difficult to be certain from this genotype whether ETR is compromised; however, data from SA suggest that the majority of patients who have failed NVP or EFV are still susceptible to ETR.
We advise against double RTV-boosted PIs.
MVC (a CCR5 blocker) is a consideration for salvage therapy; however, it is currently extremely costly and can only be used after a tropism test demonstrates that the patient’s circulating virus has sole tropism for the CCR5 coreceptor. We advise only considering this for a salvage regimen when there is intermediate- or high-level resistance to all PIs, all NNRTIs and all NRTIs.
If viral suppression is not achieved on salvage therapy, then there is still benefit in continuing failing ART, because of the residual partial activity and ‘crippling’ effect of such ART. ‘Crippling’ describes the fact that mutant viruses often have less replicative capacity. Provided that the VL can be maintained at < copies/mL, the CD4+ count will usually be maintained or even increase.
If VS not achieved, still benefit in continuing failing ART

24. Outcomes

25. VS on salvage ART: AfA programme (n=152)
145 (95.4%) had at least one viral load performed on salvage ART n
% of those who had VL performed
(n=145)
% of whole cohort
(n=152)
Suppressed <400 copies/mL
126
86.9%
82.9%
Suppressed <50 copies/mL
108
74.5%
71.1%
Demonstrates salvage regimens are suppressive
Adherence support helps
Dunn, unpublished

26. Cumulative survival by KM estimate = 87.2%
(95%CI = 79.8 – 92.0)
Most NB slide – 2500 days is almost 7 years
Vital status available for all patients on administrative censor date (30 April 2014)

27. Resistance testing At first line failure if resources permit
Differentiate adherence issues from resistance
Informative ETR/RPV mutations (third line)
Which NRTIs?
Patients receiving PI-based first line who are failing
Second line failure
A resistance test at first-line failure should be considered if resources permit.
In many settings in the region, this is unaffordable and/or unavailable.
Benefits include that it may be able to differentiate between adherence problems (when the resistance test shows no resistance mutations) and the development of resistance
Informative regarding ETR or RPV mutations in subsequent third-line regimens
Help decide which NRTIs to use in second-line therapy, although the recently published EARNEST (Europe-Africa Research Network for Evaluation of Second- line Therapy) trial shows that even without the use of a resistance test to decide upon which NRTIs to use in second-line therapy, virological outcomes are good and equivalent to a PI + RAL regimen

28. ART when renal impairment
Acute and chronic kidney injury
ABC standard dose + 3TC (adjust dose based on CrCl) + EFV
If renal impairment resolving readjust to standard doses
Chronic dialysis
First line
ABC 600mg daily
3TC 50mg x 1 dose then 25mg daily (given after dialysis session)
EFV 600mg nocte
Second line
LPV/r (twice-daily) plus 2 NRTIs selected based on resistance test and tolerability considerations
Problems with TDF and AZT in dialysis
Acute kidney injury
In patients with AKI, dosages of NRTI drugs should be adjusted based on estimated CrCl calculation.
TDF should be interrupted even if it is not thought to be the cause of the AKI.
Once there is clear evidence that renal function is improving (creatinine on downward trend), NRTI dosages should be readjusted to standard dosages to avoid underdosing.
In patients with AKI who are not yet receiving ART, initiation is preferably deferred until AKI has resolved.
Chronic renal patients
Patients with HIV may develop end-stage renal failure requiring chronic haemodialysis owing to HIV-associated nephropathy or an HIV-unrelated cause.
In patients on chronic haemodialysis, there are a number of important ART issues that arise.
NRTI class is eliminated through the kidneys, and thus doses of most NRTI drugs need to be adjusted in patients on dialysis.
Although TDF can be used in patients on chronic haemodialysis, dosing is once weekly, which can be difficult for patients to remember.
AZT is generally avoided because of anaemia associated with chronic renal failure.
Daily dosages or the evening doses of a twice-daily regimen of ARVs on the day of haemodialysis should be given after the haemodialysis session.
NNRTI drugs do not require dose adjustment.

29. Dosage adjustment in renal failure
No dosage adjustments needed for NNRTIs, PIs and InSTIs

30. What else? Unchanged New
Investigations prior to ART initiation
Laboratory monitoring on ART
Minimal changes in ARV toxicity monitoring and management
New
Confirm HIV diagnosed on 2 rapids with lab test
Do CD4 if virological or clinical failure
IPT included in GL
If HIV diagnosis has been made using two rapid tests performed outside of a laboratory setting, then we advise confirming the positive serostatus using a laboratory test prior to commencing lifelong ART.
A detectable VL result would be sufficient (note that it may be undetectable in <1% of patients not receiving ART, i.e. ‘elite controllers’)
If unaffordable/unavailable, then an ELISA should be performed.
CD4+ counts should be performed every 6 months.
In patients being monitored with VL measurements, once the CD4+ count is >200 cells/μL, provided that the VL is suppressed, routine CD4+ testing can be stopped, as it adds little to management. Data to support this have recently been summarised in the guidelines
If virological or clinical failure occurs, then a CD4+ count should be repeated, as CTX prophylaxis should be commenced if the count falls to <200 cells/μL while receiving ART.

31. Michelle Moorhouse mmoorhouse@wrhi.ac.za Cell: 076 071 9041

32. Michelle Moorhouse Mar 2015
Guidelines
Michelle Moorhouse
Mar 2015